Overseas Vietnamese star Martin Lo suddenly announces retirement

Martin Lo was selected for the Vietnam U23 team in 2019.

Martin Lo is one of the first overseas Vietnamese players to return to play in the country and has created a special attraction for football fans. The midfielder, born in 1997, grew up at the academy of the Western Sydney Wanderers Club in Australia.

In 2019, he reached an agreement to join the National First Division Club - Pho Hien and quickly shone. At this time, he was called up by Coach Park Hang-seo to the Vietnam U23 team and was compared to the heroes at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.

Just 1 year later, Martin Lo was recruited by the V-League club, Hai Phong . At the port city team, Martin Lo only played a total of 72 matches, scoring 2 goals after 5 seasons. His career was hindered by injuries.

Last season, Martin Lo returned to Pho Hien - the club has now changed its name to PVF-CAND. This midfielder was absent in the early stages of the 2024/25 National First Division season due to injury. In early 2025, he made an impressive comeback with 1 goal and 2 consecutive assists in rounds 8 to 10. However, physical problems prevented Martin Lo from maintaining his peak form.

At the end of the 2024/025 season, Martin Lo did not renew his contract with PVF-CAND. After some consideration, he decided to hang up his boots at the age of 27. This was a decision that surprised fans, but it was reasonable given what Martin Lo had experienced in recent years.

Martin Lo wore the number 10 shirt of PVF-CAND last season.

On his personal page, Martin Lo shared: “21 Years and the End.

Thanks football, for everything.

The person Martin Lo has become and more importantly, the person Martin Lo chooses to become is shaped by the people I have met in football and the experiences I have had along the way. For 21 years, football has given me a place to express myself in a way that words cannot. As an introverted Asian boy, growing up in an environment where Asians were often overlooked and underrepresented in sports , football gave me a voice when I had no voice.

To all those who have truly supported me, through my successes and failures - thank you. I know who you are, and I carry that support with me into the next chapter of my life. Some of those close to me may understand why I have made this decision, but most do not - and that is okay with Martin Lo. Because not many people have seen what I have seen, or lived the world of football that I have lived. This is a personal decision for me. My goals and values in life are no longer aligned with the path that football has taken me.

Football will always be a part of Martin Lo’s life, but it will no longer be his entire identity. Martin Lo leaves the pitch not with regret, but with love and gratitude for the art that Martin Lo once believed in.”